Help me out here. Yesterday’s Nickelodeon press release announcing more SpongeBobs are on the way gave us this bit of information:

“SpongeBob SquarePants will once again cap the year as the number-one animated show among kids 2-11 (followed by The Penguins of Madagascar) and kids 6-11 on broadcast and basic cable. The series is also basic cable’s top animated show with total viewers.”

But a Disney Channel press release dated November 5, 2010, had this to say:

“The Emmy Award-winning hit series “Phineas and Ferb” has ranked as TV’s #1 animated series among Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14 for two consecutive years. It is TV’s #1 animated series in fiscal 2010 among Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14, delivering 3.3 million Total Viewers on average.”

I was facing grown-up problems by the time most of these shows were airing, but I still like pretty well Fredrik Larsson’sCartoon Medley. If you were a kid in the ’80s, you’ll probably like it even more.

This Fast Company article on Phineas and Ferb is interesting for a couple of reasons, not the least of which are the facts and figures how the show’s license and merchandising compares with SpongeBob’s. From Frederator’s point-of-view there’s an even bigger take-away. You might know we’re a cartoon company whose output has been (nearly) 100% creator based, meaning the folks, usually cartoonists, who come up with the idea are also the ones who run the show. So while there’s always that tendency for networks to veer in the opposite direction of how we like to work, it’s great to know this creator-based cartoon - at a network far from being known for its catering to the visions of creators - is now “the top cable animated series among 6- to 14-year-olds.” So, good for Disney for supporting the show, and a bigger congratulations to [Read more…]

Hey, if you’re going to the Alternative Press Expo this weekend in San Francisco and want to pitch your cartoon projects to a high-powered development executive, let me know, I’ll be glad to put you in touch with one. Ha ha ha. Seriously, though. If you’ve got ideas for cartoons - TV or features - I’ll be there to meet you. Email me at eric at frederator.com.

Hats off to Butch and his cast and crew. You can read the good news (and for Planet Sheen, too) in the official Nickelodeon press release below, but if all those numbers hurt your head like they do mine, just know the T.U.F.F. Puppy premiere was Nick’s highest-rated cartoon of the week with kids aged six to eleven.

– Eric

NICKELODEON’S NEW PLANET SHEEN AND T.U.F.F. PUPPY TOP SATURDAY MORNING TIME PERIODS!

Back-to-Back Premieres of New Nicktoons Bring in 3.6 Million Total Viewers to Saturday Morning Block

Man, we’ve known Butch Hartman as a hotshot cartoon guy since 1822. Since then, he’s created TV shows, written features, and delivered babies in snowstorms on desert islands with two arms tied behind his back. Tomorrow, at 11:30 a.m. on Nickelodeon, Butch unleashes his latest cartoon series, T.U.F.F. Puppy. He and his cast and crew have worked incredibly hard on the series. As with everything Butch does, we wish him - along with everyone associated with the show - the very best of success.

When we asked Thurop Van Orman what he’s been up to since Flapjack wrapped production (besides re-growing his beard), we had no idea it would be as cool as Black Forest, a feature he’s been developing. Thanks a ton for stopping by the Frederator compound yesterday, Thurop, and telling us about the project. Of course, we’re quite grateful your allowing us to show these cracking images on our blogs. Good luck.